One of the saddest times of being a wedding photographer is having an excited to-be bride inquire with me, only to find out that I am booked for her date. Don’t get me wrong. I love being able to refer them to my other photographer friends who aren’t booked for that specific date, but it’s happened to often this year that a bride REALLY wants to work with me, and then they ask, and I am already booked for the date! I have quite a few dates that I’ve gotten multiple inquiries for, and it just makes me sad. Because of that, I wanted to give you brides-to-be some tips! Here’s 4 things to do once you get engaged! 🙂

The Big Moment

Now, if you were anything like me, getting engaged probably ended up going a little something like this. You and your boyfriend were pretty serious for sometime. You had thought about marrying that boy for a long time, but you never wanted to ask about it for fear that he didn’t feel the same way, or you didn’t think that he was ready to take that step. You put it off, but finally you had “the talk.” You found out that you weren’t the only one thinking about marriage, and that was that. You knew it was going to happen. Maybe you went ring shopping, or maybe you sent him some pinterest photos of what you liked, but either way, you made sure to let your man know what you expected in a ring. If you went to a ring shop, you may have found a ring you LOVED, and then saw the price tag and thought “there’s no way THAT’S happening…” That was totally me.

Now weeks go by, maybe even a month or so, and nothing happens. You start to think that all is lost, and that your boyfriend is rethinking his plans. He starts acting weird, and avoids your phone calls…Great. Now you’re going to be single, and miserable for life….

But then it happens. He comes over one night, and acts all weird. He tells you he has something for you in his car. He goes and gets it and brings it in the house- A pink gift bag. Great. He bought me bath and body works. But then you pull out the tissue paper, and see it. A maroon box. The kind of box a ring goes in. And then you look at him as your opening it, and he asks you to be his wife.

OK. Maybe that was just MY story. Maybe you got engaged in the mountains of Germany (I have a bride who did!), or maybe you guys went out for a weekend getaway in the woods and he asked you on a little bridge over a creek (that one happened too). Either way it happened, YOU’RE ENGAGED!!!!!! It’s time to celebrate, and believe it or not, start planning.

4 Things to Do Once You Get Engaged

Now, If you google “things to do once you get engaged” you may end up with some crazy answers. I know I did when I was researching for this blog. Most won’t be mentioned here, but here’s what I WISH I would have done after we got engaged.

1. Tell Family and Friends
   We did this. I was at my parent’s house when it happened, and my dad knew it was happening because I made my hubby go talk to him before he even asked me. HA. They weren’t surprised. But then we had to call friends and let them all know, and then posted on social media. I wouldn’t advise to post it social media BEFORE you tell family though. That might make some of your family a little upset.
2. Get your ring sized and insured.
   The first thing that I did almost the week after we got engaged was to resize my ring. I worked in the dental office at the time, and it was too scary to have to put on and take off gloves all day with a ring that didn’t fit quite snug enough. Insurance is just a good idea in general, but definitely shop around!
3. Pick a date!
   
   Some things online said to pick a date but it didn’t have to be your REAL date. I disagree. You should figure out what date you really want, and when it’s going to happen. This doesn’t only give you the options of finding your vendors, but it also gives you an idea of the amount of money you need to be putting away towards the wedding to pay for things!
4. Find your vendors!!
   Venues would probably say that you need to pick them first to assure that you get your date, but I would beg to differ. There are so many amazing venues out there. Now, if you’re like those movie brides that have been DREAMING about getting married in a certain location since you were born then absolutely book that first. BUT, if you aren’t I would recommend finding your photographer if not first, close to it. Photography is the ONE thing that you really get to keep after the wedding. Your flowers will die. Memories of your venue with fade. The cake gets eaten, and then get’s freezer-burned. Your photos are the best memory that you can have from your wedding. It really does hurt my feelings when I have a bride inquire with me for their date, and they express their excitement to have me as their photographer, only to find out that I can’t shoot their wedding. My best piece of advice–find your photographer, and florist, and planner you love, and check with them BEFORE your venue. Chances are, you can find a venue that is similar to the one you love. You might not be as lucky with a photographer.

I would have done things a bit differently when we got married, and hopefully this helps you out once you get engaged! I know it would have helped me! 🙂